Tag: Japan
News Japan's New PS5 Model Suffers Sales Slump in First Full Week of Data
17,400+ new PS5 model sold last week
PS5 sales in Japan remain steady when accounting for all versions of the console, but the new region-specific model of the system has dropped in sales during its first full week on the market. From the period of 24th November to 30th November, which accounts for the system's first full week of sales, Sony sold...
News Here Are All the Winners from This Year's PlayStation Partner Awards in Japan
Top picks
Earlier today, Sony held its annual PlayStation Partner Awards ceremony in Japan. The event is designed to recognise the output of third-parties and indies, with the platform holder handing out awards to recognise the titles which have contributed to the PS5’s success over the past year. This has actually been an annual tradition ever...
News Japanese Ghost of Yotei PS5 Sales Are Just About Hanging On
The country's 26th bestseller last week
Across hardware and physical software sales, Nintendo dominates Japan — so much so that Ghost of Yotei was one of just three games not released for Switch 1 or Switch 2 to make the country's top 30 best-selling games chart last week. Accounting for physical copies alone (digital sales aren't counted),...
News PS5 Sales in Japan Quadruple as New Model Launches
23,000+ PS5 consoles bought
PS5 console sales in Japan have skyrocketed in the past week, as the new model designed specifically for the country enters the market. Accounting for around two to three days' worth of sales, there were exactly 23,381 purchases of the PS5 Digital Edition in Japan through until 23rd November. In comparison, PS5 sales the...
News Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Just Had the Worst Japanese Retail Launch in Series History
Not gone well, then
It's been an unusually rocky ride for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which has been widely panned and appears to be selling below the series' usual pace. While Activision has yet to provide any official sales information itself (which is kinda telling on its own), some data has begun to emerge, including a weak UK launch and, now, a...
News 'I'm So Happy': Japanese Players Rejoice Over Finally Buying Cut-Price PS5
"We've finally arrived"
Sony released a language-locked cut-price PS5 in Japan this week, and social media is full of excited players posting pictures of their purchases. While the system started out fairly strong domestically, the weakening yen paired with soaring hardware costs has killed the machine’s momentum locally. Reports suggest previous...
News PS5 Sales Collapse in Japan as Sony Readies Overdue Rescue Plan
Language locked model launches today
Sony’s new language-locked PS5 console launches in Japan today, and it couldn’t arrive at a better moment. The latest Famitsu sales data for Japan reveals the manufacturer’s machine sold just 5,855 units last week. While sales likely slowed in anticipation for the new cut-price model, the number looks...
Past management wasn't fussed about format's domestic woes
PlayStation’s previous management believed it was acceptable for Nintendo to erode its market share in Japan, but new CEO Hideaki Nishino – who’s Japanese and has replaced British leader Jim Ryan – won’t go down without a fight. According to a report by TV Tokyo (as translated by...
News Here's Why Sony Is Making a Japan-Specific PS5 Console
The sales numbers don't lie
The headline announcement out of this week's State of Play Japan livestream was a new PS5 console that's specific to the country. It only operates in the Japanese language, and it only works with Japanese PSN accounts. By doing this, Sony is able to offer the system at a vastly reduced price of ¥55,000 ($350), which...
News Sony to Stimulate Japanese PS5 Sales with Cheaper, Language Locked Model
A massive price cut
Sony will attempt to get PS5 sales moving in its domestic Japan with a new cheaper language locked model. The system will only work with Japanese PSN accounts and will only support Japanese as a language. It will include 825GB of storage space. The new-gen PlayStation console has been struggling against Nintendo’s family of...
News In Japan, Switch 2 Retail Sales Are Already Closing on PS5
Mind the gap
The release of Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake in Japan last week was always going to be interesting, because the series is immensely popular and was available across Switch 2, Switch, and PS5. According to Famitsu sales data, the Switch version sold best on Nintendo’s enormous install base, shifting 232k copies. But the Switch 2...
News Sony Stands with Japan's Creators in AI Copyright Crackdown
Anime giants unite against Sora 2
Sony’s anime subsidiary Aniplex is one of several major Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) members who’s requested the organisation write to OpenAI about the unauthorised training of its content by video generator Sora 2. Sora 2 allows users to write prompts in order to create short videos and...
News For $1000, Maybe Get Married to Your Favourite Yakuza Character
Dreams do come true
Sometimes real people just don't cut it, and you've got little choice to but tie the knot with an entirely fictional stud / babe. That's the premise behind this new Like a Dragon exhibition in Japan, which will allow 15 lucky lottery winners to marry their favourite Yakuza character. Yes, this includes an actual ceremony,...
News Ghost of Yotei Sales Fall Off In Japan, But PS5 Exclusive Still Sticks Around in Second Place
Mario's back on top
Following on from its impressive number one debut in the Japanese sales charts last week, Ghost of Yotei's numbers have fallen off fairly hard — but it's still managed to hold on in second place. The PS5 exclusive moved 120,196 physical copies within its launch week, having dropped on the 2nd October. It's shifted an...
News We're Lovin' This McDonald's x Street Fighter Collaboration
Available in Japan now
McDonald’s Japan has teamed up with Capcom on a Street Fighter 2-themed promo that’ll be hard to top. The promotion – named Street Burgers – has rolled out with a ton of promotional pixel art, showing series protagonist Ryu chomping away on a Samurai Mac and shady Shadaloo villain M. Bison clutching his takeaway order...
News Ghost of Yotei Follows in Tsushima's Footsteps, Dominates Japanese Charts on PS5
Mountainous
Ghost of Yotei looks set to be a bit of a blockbuster in Japan, as its initial sales figures have just been revealed. According to the latest Famitsu software charts (as reported by Gematsu), the PS5 exclusive shot straight to number one, shifting 120,196 copies. As always, it should be pointed out that these Japanese charts only count...
News 'It's Selling Like Hot Cakes': Hokkaido Goes Crazy for Ghost of Yotei on PS5
Government hopes game will drive tourism
A local Japanese news report has spotlighted the importance of Ghost of Yotei to the Hokkaido region which inspired it. The PS5 exclusive – which launched last week – is “selling like hot cakes” according to one Yodobashi employee in Sapporo, with the anticipation being it’ll be one of the...
News Ghost of Yotei Gets a Near Perfect Score in Japan's Most Famous Gaming Magazine
But it can't beat Tsushima
Famous Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu has just dropped its latest issue — and it features a review for Ghost of Yotei. The PS5 exclusive, which releases tomorrow at the time of writing, has been handed a near perfect score of 39/40. For Famitsu, this is a rare occurrence; only 30 games — by our count — have ever...
News Sony Joins Forces with Japanese Influencer Mumeixxx to Promote PS5
TikTok time
Sony’s released four TikTok-style promo videos with Japanese influencer Mumeixxx to promote the PS5 ahead of this week’s Tokyo Game Show. This is the latest in a long line of promo videos from the platform holder, although it’s done away with the high-level concept in this case, serving up something a little more social media...
News Classic Sony Series Everybody's Golf Sells Best on Switch in Japan
Nice shot?
Considering the sheer popularity of the Nintendo Switch in its native Japan, it was always going to prove an uphill battle for the PS5 version of legendary Sony series Everybody’s Golf to outperform it. And now we have physical sales data available, we can see that the newest entry Everybody's Golf: Hot Shots has sold best on the Mario...
News PS5 Creeps Past 7 Million Sales in Japan
Lucky number 7
It's no secret that Nintendo has dominated the Japanese console market over the last decade or so, but contrary to somewhat popular opinion, the PS5 has found some success in Sony's homeland. The current-gen system has actually done fairly well for itself considering its initial stock shortages and subsequent price hikes, to the...
News USA's Top 20 PlayStation Games of All Time May Surprise You
Modernity has not failed us
Did you know PlayStation is enjoying its 30th anniversary in USA today? These celebrations do tend to drag on forever due to the lag that used to exist between hardware launches. You may recall, we already commemorated PlayStation’s 30th anniversary last year, as it deployed a year earlier in its native Japan. Anyway,...
News Metal Gear Solid Delta, Super Robot Wars Y Keep PS5 Software in the Japanese Top 10
Lost Soul Aside is there too
The Japanese games market is usually dominated by Switch software, but the latest Famitsu sales figures reveal a rare week in which a PS5 title rules the roost. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has managed to score the number one slot on the physical sales chart, selling an estimated 63,585 copies. Further down the...
News These New PS1 Toy Capsules Are Worth the Price of a Flight to Tokyo
"Changed my mind"
Why book a flight to Tokyo? Sure, the katsu curry is delicious and the historical landmarks are fascinating – but let’s be honest, these new PlayStation gashapons look like the real reason to make the trip. The miniature PS1 and PS2 game cases double as keyrings, and can be opened with a removable disc and manual inside. Hey,...
News Capcom Nixes Tone Deaf Conference on Monster Hunter Wilds Optimisation
But fan harassment crossed a line
Monster Hunter Wilds is not what we’d describe as the smoothest PS5 game, so Capcom’s decision to hold a seminar on video game optimisation doesn’t strike us as the best idea. To be clear, the Japanese publisher has made some outstandingly slick software over the years, so we’re sure it has valuable...
News Switch 2 Absolutely Destroys PS2's Launch Record in Japan
It's not even close
It’s not enormously surprising, but the Nintendo Switch 2 has ground pounded the launch records of practically every other console in the country. The system debuted with 947,931 units, according to Famitsu. This number even excludes some data, like purchases from the My Nintendo store. To put this into context, the previous...
News Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Struggles for Sales in Japan, Despite JRPG Inspirations
Obscured
One of 2025's early frontrunners for Game of the Year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been one heck of a success story for developer Sandfall Interactive — but it seems as though the title hasn't caught on in Japan. According to the latest sales charts from the region, the title managed to move just 9,800 copies on PS5, following its...
News The Quintessential Quintuplets Become Failing Sorceresses in New PS5, PS4 Dungeon RPG
Phantasy Star with sorceress siblings
If you’re not familiar with The Quintessential Quintuplets, it’s a moderately popular romantic manga and anime series in which hopeless protagonist Futaro Uesugi is hired as a tutor for five identical sisters with various personalities. A new game – The Quintessential Princesses: Fantasy, the Abyss, and...
News PS5 Suddenly a Hot Product in Japan, But as a Rental
PS5 rental service proving popular
PlayStation hardware sales in Japan are not what they used to be, but that doesn't mean interest in PS5 and its range of games has completely petered out. In fact, business is actually booming... in the PS5 console rental scene. Japanese retailer GEO has confirmed its PS5 rental service is proving "more popular"...
News Trump's Tariffs Cause Stocks in Japanese Video Game Companies to Collapse
As recession estimates rise
Stocks in practically all major Japanese video game companies have been torpedoed by US president Donald Trump’s tariffs. At the time of writing, Sony is down by as much as 13% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, but Nintendo is following a similar trajectory. As we publish this, Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark is down 6%...
News Switch 2 Goes for the Kill in Japan By Massively Undercutting PS5's Price
Nintendo plots Japanese language-only option
In the rest of the world, the Switch 2 is comparatively priced to the PS5 – but Nintendo knows where its bread is buttered. The Mario maker has come up with a fascinating solution to the weakening yen and the threat of exports: a Japanese language-only system which will retail for ¥49,980 (~$338)...
News PlayStation Japan's Marketing Remains Unbeaten
PS1 and only
We've been saying this for ages, but marketing campaigns just don't get much better than PlayStation Japan's consistently superb efforts. The team's pumped out some amazing — and undeniably Japanese — ads over the years, and this latest video is no different. It's actually an expanded version of the 30th Anniversary commercial that...
News Ghost of Tsushima Is Sony's Biggest Western Hit in Japan Since Crash Bandicoot 3
So says Shuhei Yoshida
Now he's left PlayStation, former exec Shuhei Yoshida is dropping all kinds of anecdotes and knowledge from his three decades at the company. A recent example concerns Ghost of Tsushima and its sales performance in Japan. Speaking to AV Watch in an interview (thanks, Genki), Yoshida says Sucker Punch's open world action RPG...
News Japan Sales Charts: Assassin's Creed Shadows and Bleach: Rebirth of Souls Struggle on PS5
At least Yumia's done well
It's been a fairly big week for new PS5 games, but they've struggled to have any kind of meaningful impact on the latest Japanese sales charts. Although as always, we should stress that these rankings don't take digital sales into account. The headliner here has to be Assassin's Creed Shadows, which shifted a meagre...
News Assassin's Creed Shadows Gets Positive Reviews In Japan as Bayonetta Director Speaks Out
Open world, characters, writing all praised
There's been much debate over how well Assassin's Creed Shadows would be received in Japan. After all, the game's set in the country's feudal 16th century, and its open world map attempts to recreate a vast swath of the island nation. In the months prior to release, there were reports that various...
News Japan's Game Industry on Impressive Rise as Western AAA Development Struggles
Sony and others hitting record highs
Five of Japan's biggest video game companies have just posted record-breaking share prices, strongly suggesting that the country's industry is actually strengthening amongst the global unrest that surrounds AAA development. As reported by analyst Dr. Serkan Toto on Kantan Games, Japan hasn't really felt the...
News Disrespectful Foreign Tourists Force Closure of Japanese Shrine Fixed by Ghost of Tsushima Fans
"Those who consider this place a theme park are not worshippers"
This is the kind of story that makes our blood boil. The Watazumi Shrine on Tsushima Island has been closed to all tourists following “a grave and unforgivable act of disrespect by foreigners”. There’s no information on what exactly occurred, but the incident which forced the...
News A Song About PlayStation Is Topping the Charts in Japan
YOASOBI strikes again
A song dedicated to PlayStation’s 30th anniversary is topping the charts in Japan. You may recall Sony signed local artist YOASOBI to write a song celebrating its console’s 30th anniversary. Players were encouraged to share their memories about the brand, and those have been immortalised in a distinctive electropop ditty...
News Iconic Game Maker Says Japanese Devs Should Stop Trying to Appeal to Westerners
"Keep pursuing the things Japanese people like"
There was a period, perhaps prominently during the PS3 era, where Japanese developers seemed to lose their way and started trying to appeal to Western tastes more and more. This is something we’ve seen a lot less of lately, as franchises such as Like a Dragon and Monster Hunter and Persona thrive on...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Sells Over 100k Consoles in a Week as Monster Hunter Wilds Explodes
Wild stuff
For the first time in a long, long time, PS5 has sold over 100k units in its native Japan. The console, powered by Monster Hunter Wilds and a temporary price drop, moved an impressive 108,978 units, with the base disc model PS5 making up most of the numbers. In terms of the splits, the PS5 sold 75,070 units, the PS5 Digital Edition sold...
News Japan Sales Charts: A PS5 Game Finally Rules the Roost as Like a Dragon Plunders
A pirate's life
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has shot straight to the top of the latest Japanese sales charts, having launched on the 21st February. As you may have noticed, we don't write about the charts too often these days — and that's primarily because there's hardly ever anything going on that's relevant to PlayStation. It's nice...
News Cheap PS5 Rental Service Rolls Out in Japan, Just in Time for Monster Hunter Wilds
Playtime
One of Japan's most popular retailers is rolling out a new rental service for the PS5 console itself — and it's actually quite cheap at just 980 yen (around $7 or £5) for a full week. The PS5 has sold fairly well in Japan up until this point, but there's no question that the region's home console market has shrunk significantly over the...
News PS5 Prepares for a Massive Month in Japan with Montage Video
Monstrous
PS5 has been doing fine in Japan, but it’s obviously common knowledge that Nintendo Switch is dominating the market in Sony’s homeland. In truth, there’s probably not a lot the PlayStation maker can do to reverse this situation, but the months ahead will be important for the PS5 domestically, as evidenced by this montage trailer...
News Compile Heart Is Assembling a Pretty Killer Lineup for PS5, PS4
Shooters! RPGs! More
Niche Japanese publisher Compile Heart has revealed its lineup for 2025, and it’s got a good mixture of titles in the works for PS5 and PS4. We’ve already written about Returnal-esque third-person shooter Scar-Lead Salvation, but if you missed the news, you can find it through here. The other upcoming rele
News Japan Sales Charts: There Are Just Two PS5 Games in the Entire Top 30
Living in a Nintendo world
Nintendo's total domination in its home turf of Japan continues with the latest physical sales information (thanks, Gematsu). In the final weeks of 2024, the top 30 games almost exclusively comprise Switch software, with just a couple of exceptions. In the week ending 5th January 2025, Astro Bot appeared in 20th and...
News Japan Sales Charts: Dragon Quest 3 Is an Absolute Monster, PS5 Pro Falls Off
Japan + Dragon Quest = Profit
Japan loves Dragon Quest. The country's obsession with the age-old RPG series has rarely ever waned, and it remains an absolute sales juggernaut across the nation. Indeed, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has sold stupidly well upon its Japanese debut, shifting a colossal 822,000 copies. We don't know whether you keep up...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Pro Gets Stronger Start Than PS4 Pro Despite Being Twice the Price
A Pro move
The first sales figures for PS5 Pro in Japan are in (thanks, Gematsu), and it's a very healthy start for the beefed-up console. In its launch week, the machine has sold 78,086 units, which is far and away the best-selling hardware for that period. This is a pretty impressive number, especially when you start thinking about its price. PS5...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Software Actually Sells for Once
But hardware remains dire
Famitsu has published the latest Japanese software sales charts, and it’s a rare week of software wins for Sony. While much has been made of PlayStation’s inability to sell games in its home territory, this week sees it occupy four of the top five spots. Atlus’ anticipated RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio started strongest,...
News Sony Fights Scalpers in Japan By Demanding PS5, PS4 Playtime
For the players only
Inevitably, pre-orders for the limited edition 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro are being flogged for a huge markup on auction sites like eBay. But in Japan specifically Sony is fighting back by requiring 30 hours of PS5 and PS4 playtime since 14th February, 2014. If you haven’t logged that amount of time on your account, then you...
News Japan Sales Charts: PS5 Continues to Tank in Japan Following Price Increase
Astro Bot hanging in there
The latest weekly Japanese gaming charts have arrived, and it seems Sony is still struggling in its homeland. The good news is that Astro Bot is holding fairly steady in the physical software chart, currently in third place. The less good news is that it's only managed 28,521 copies to date; the current number one game,...
